The median monthly household income for Malaysians in 2014 increased by 11.7 percent annually to RM4,585 from RM3,626 in 2012.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia said this in its report on the Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey 2014, held to collect data on the characteristics of Malaysian households.

“The survey was conducted using personal interview approach in a 12-month period in 2014, covering both the urban and rural strata.

“In general, there are four sources of income that can be received (accrued) by households - income from paid employment; self-employed; income from property and investments; and, current transfer received,” it said in a statement.

For the mean monthly household income for Malaysians, it increased 10.3 percent per annum to RM6,141 in 2014 from RM5,000 in 2012, it said.

The Statistics Department said Federal Territory (FT) of Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest median monthly household income of RM7,620, followed by Putrajaya (RM7,512), Selangor (RM6,214), FT Labuan (RM5,684), Johor (RM5,197), Malacca (RM5,029) and Penang (RM4,702).

It said other states recorded the median income below the national level at RM4,585.

The department said Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest mean monthly household income (RM10,629), followed by Putrajaya (RM10,401), Selangor (RM8,252), Labuan (RM7,591) and Johor (RM6,207).

“Other states recorded mean income below the national level (RM6,141),” it said.

The Gini coefficient declined by three percentage points from 0.431 in 2012 to 0.401 in 2014, it said.

“This indicates the improvement in the Malaysian household income distribution,” it said.

- Bernama